They can prepare themselves for what exactly? This is the question none of the Heads of House have been willing to answer despite the constant questioning of their students. Yuqi has been paying extra visits to Mrs. Vera’s office since the announcement to the point that the teacher has been forced to put a spell on her door to prevent the student from entering.

Minnie on her side has been spending extra time at the library, searching for more books to perfect her knowledge in all subjects. She usually prefers to study in Ravenclaw’s common room but the situation forced her to use the library.

Soojin on her side has been awfully quiet. Actually, maybe not that quiet. The Slytherin has been busy tracking down the students who said Muggle-borns aren’t worthy to participate in the tournament. She found them and has since been making their life a living Hell. The girl is particularly good at it, making people fear for their life at every corner. From putting surprise spells in their personal stuff to messing up their food with insects, she has been well inspired.

As always, there is never any evidence of her doings. Despite the students reporting her to Mr. Poe, there is nothing the Head of House can do without real proof. The man knows there is always some truth in the accusations against Soojin, the girl never is entirely innocent, and he has been telling her to behave but Soojin always does as she pleases.

---

October shows its head, ringing the time for the first challenge. The students got the word from Mr. Bancroft at dinner that the first challenge will take place on the Quidditch Pitch in the morning right after breakfast. The three champions have been informed one week in advance, but the location doesn’t make it any easier to narrow down the possible challenges they will have to face.

Yuqi, the youngest of the three champions, has been a real bomb of anxious energy. It is to the point that Soyeon and Shuhua are so affected by her energy that they decided to spell-proof their bed from the outside to be able to rest. With their curtains completely close, letting nothing in and nothing out, the two Gryffindors are fast asleep, unaware of Yuqi’s current state.

The redhead Gryffindor has barely slept a few hours and has already showered and put on the clothes Mrs. Vera gave her to wear for the tournament. A pair of black pants in an unknown material with pads on the knees, a pair of black boots that goes up to the middle of her calf, a shirt, and a sweatshirt in the color of Gryffindor with her name written in big letters behind. There is also a robe in the red of the House but the weather of October is still warm enough to go out without the robe.

Mrs. Vera told her clothes were fire resistant – to an extent – and capable to protect her from the attack of a blade. Still, the Head of House warned her to be careful during each challenge and to take it very seriously. Yuqi realized how dangerous it might actually be when she read the obvious worry in the eyes of the old woman. Still, Yuqi has faith in her capacity to do well.

The Gryffindor decides to have a walk outside to clear her mind, she exits the Gryffindor Tower discreetly and makes her way to the ground floor, her curiosity tells her to check the Quidditch Pitch just to see if she can gather some quick clues before the challenge. Yuqi walks through the training grounds and watches from the hill the walls surrounding the Quidditch Pitch.

Usually, the Pitch is encircled by the bleachers situated in twenty high towers to make it possible for the spectators to see the match unfolding as the three golden rings on each side of the Pitch are quite high. Except right now, the bleachers are less high than usual and a protective wall has been set all around the Pitch to protect the spectators, and surely hide what was going on inside.

Yuqi sighs, she goes back inside the castle, walks to the Great Hall, and sits down at Gryffindor’s table. There is no one around since the hour is too early, the redhead waits in silence for the castle to wake up, anxiety rising up and going down every minute as the challenge is getting closer.

---

« Did you even sleep? »

Yuqi is stirring her mug of coffee, not even responding to Soyeon’s question. Shuhua slips down next to Yuqi, she pats the girl’s shoulder in a supportive way, understanding she might not want to talk. Soyeon sits down on Yuqi’s other side, she grabs herself a cup of coffee as well. Shuhua makes herself some tea, and they eat together in silence. Gryffindor’s students don’t even dare come near Yuqi nor ask her any questions as Soyeon watches each and every one of them with killer eyes.

Yuqi finishes her breakfast right before a Gryffindor’s Prefect tells her to follow her. She leaves the table but not before Shuhua wishes her good luck and Soyeon gives her a supportive fist bump. She follows the Prefect, finding herself on the way to the Quidditch changing rooms. She knows her way around here as she often walks Soyeon to her training sessions or gets her after a match. They enter Ravenclaw’s changing room, and she finds Soojin and Minnie sitting on the opposite side of the room in the same uniform as hers – except they each wear their own colors.

Minnie greets Yuqi politely, going as far as standing up and shaking her hand. Soojin only nods in her direction, completely focused on her own thoughts. Yuqi has heard all the rumors about Soojin being the descendant of a Death Eater, having her family involved in the Dark Arts, and the girl getting angry easily. Yet, she walks to her and extends her hand toward her.

« Hi. I want to wish you good luck. »

Soojin slowly looks up. She takes in the uniform at the colors of Gryffindor before continuing her way up to Yuqi’s face. Yuqi offers her a friendly smile, her hand extended waiting for Soojin to take it. The Slytherin smirks, she stands up, dominating Yuqi by a few centimeters, and grabs her hand. Her shake is stronger than what Yuqi expected, she doesn’t let out any of the pain she is fulling as Soojin is crushing her fingers to the bones.

« Good luck to you. You’ll need it more than I do. »

---

Mrs. Juny, Ravenclaw’s Head of House, enters the changing room. She is a man in her late forties with an attractive face, she keeps her blonde hair long, her green eyes are ornamented with crow’s feet wrinkles, and she always wears the weirdly interesting work robe. All of the third-year and above students know her as she is Hogwarts’ Care of Magical Creatures' teacher.

The teacher explains to the three champions who have been waiting in the changing room for the past ten minutes that the first challenge is soon to be starting. They can hear the excitement of the crowd reunited on the Quidditch Pitch. Yuqi focuses on her breath as she listens to the teacher’s explanations.

The First Task of the Magical Tournament has been designed by Ravenclaw’s Head of House. In an arena – the Quidditch Pitch – the three champions will face two Griffins. To complete their task they must tame one of the Griffins and make it bow. To succeed, their weapon of choice is their wand and their knowledge.

Yuqi watches Minnie and Soojin’s reactions to the explanation of the task but none of them show any behavior change. Minnie pulls out her wand and looks in Soojin’s direction. The Slytherin is sitting down, seemingly unbothered by the situation. Yuqi grabs her wand in her hand and holds it tight in her fist. She continues to take deep breaths on the way to the Pitch, but she messes up her breathing pattern when she finds herself face-to-face with two Griffins.

Griffins are magical creatures originated from Greece. Their front legs, wings, and head are of a giant eagle, and their body, hind legs, and tail are of a lion. Their main diet is raw meat, and they are known to be fierce creatures. However, skilled wizards and witches can befriend them.

---

« This is worst than anything else I could have imagined. »

« Why don’t you believe in Yuqi, a little? »

« Soyeon. She is facing two Griffins, wearing the least amount of protection possible! I believe in Yuqi as a wizard, but I also know Griffins are dangerous animals. They can easily become aggressive, and more than one wizard died trying to befriend one! »

« How do you even know so much about those things? »

« Don’t you ever listen during Care of Magical Creatures’ classes? »

Soyeon shrugs and then rolls her eyes at Shuhua’s frustrated groan. She leans over the bleachers to see better what is happening in the arena. The ground of the Quidditch Pitch has been changed, now mainly composed of rocks, valleys, and hideouts. The crowd had the time to discover the new aspect of the Pitch as Mr. Bancroft was doing his speech before the beginning of the task.

The Griffins arrived at the Pitch only a few minutes before the three champions set foot in the arena. Soojin and Minnie immediately parted ways, heading in a different direction, already searching for the Griffins like they are some kind of horse a bit difficult to capture.

---

Yuqi stays immobile for a few seconds, she looks around her before doing anything. She doesn’t hear anything Griffin like coming her way. The Gryffindor grips her wand tighter in her fist, and her anxious eyes scan the area before she decides to walk ahead. There is a deep valley in front of her, rocks are rolling under her feet, and she can hear herself breathing despite the constant noise of the crowd around her.

The redhead Gryffindor hears a noise coming from her right, and she jumps away from the upcoming threat right on time. Soojin’s body is propelled against a wall right next to where she is standing. Pebbles hit Yuqi’s shoulder from the collision. Yuqi glances at Soojin laying at her feet, but a terrifying noise makes her look up.

Standing in front of her, a Griffin thrice her size, its head of an eagle, is looking at Yuqi with malice. As the beast is currently fighting on the ground, its behavior is more of a feline than a bird, rounding its back, tail on the ground, wings low on its back the creature is ready to jump on Yuqi at any second. The Gryffindor holds her wand in front of her, she takes a deep breath and stands as proudly as possible in front of the Griffin.

« Move out of the way, kiddo. It’s my Griffin. »

Yuqi turns around, Soojin has gotten up on her feet. The Slytherin is covered in dust and her clothes suffer holes from her confrontation with the creature, her short hair is the usual mess except they are sticking to her forehead where some blood is currently dripping. Her state doesn’t seem to bother her, she shoves Yuqi to the side and shoots in direction of the Griffin.

« Brachiabindo! »

The Griffin uses its wings to protect itself, making Soojin’s incantation ineffective. The Slytherin tries again, with the same result as the wings of the Griffin seem to be immune to magic. In her attempt to bind the Griffin through her spell, she aims wrongly and the incantation almost touches Yuqi. It is enough to bring the redhead back into the game.

Soojin aims for the Griffin’s head, incanting the same spell for the fifth time already. As it uses its wing to protect itself, Yuqi throws a collapsing-leg- spell, making the creature fall on its face. Soojin standing closer to the Griffin runs in its direction, she climbs on its front paw and manages to get herself on top of the creature. Knowing the jinx won’t last long she secures herself the best she can by holding deep into its feather.

« I told you it was my Griffin. Go play somewhere else. I won’t be as nice next time you try to take it from me. »

Yuqi watches as the Griffin finally manages to get back on its paws. It tries to shake Soojin off its body, but the Slytherin is determined to succeed, she holds tight onto the feather of the eagle head, screaming to the creature.

« I can do this all day! Shake as much as you want! »

Yuqi frowns, her brain is working hard. The task isn’t only to tame a dangerous creature, but also to be clever than the other opponents, and fast. She glances at Soojin, she knows she has no chance against the Slytherin. Soojin is more skilled than her in most subjects and she has to admit she is a little scared to directly challenge the girl.

Yuqi decides she must act fast, she runs the way she saw Minnie going earlier when they step into the arena. She changes direction when she sees a spot looking like a hill, a bit higher than the rest of the arena, from there she quickly spots the second Griffin.

---

« Oh my God! »

« Merlin’s ! »

Shuhua and Soyeon scream at the same time, as they see Yuqi jumping from the hill directly on the second Griffin’s back. It is at least a good two meters high fall. The Gryffindor is now trying her very best to stay on the creature despite the constant shaking as it is trying to get rid of the parasite on its back.

« That’s my ing friend! Song freaking Yuqi! »

Soyeon stands on the bleacher, moving her two fists in unison as she continues to scream-sing Yuqi’s name. Shuhua next to her is trying to calm her down. Unfortunately, Soyeon’s passionate cheer rallies other Gryffindor, and soon the entire bleacher is singing Yuqi’s name. Shuhua looks at her friend on the back of the Griffin, fighting to the best of her abilities to stay on top.

---

« Damn it! »

The Griffin gives a harder shake on the right, making Yuqi lose her hold on the beast and fall archly on the ground. She feels great pain in her right leg, and blood is coming down her cheek. Still, the girl looks up in direction of the Griffin; Minnie, who has been hiding the whole time, uses Yuqi’s technique. She throws a collapsing leg spell on the Griffin before jumping on its back. She then transforms her wand into a whip, and from her position on top of the creature manages to tame it.

Eventually, through Minnie’s use of the whip, it calms down. Yuqi watches from the ground, unable to move, the Ravenclaw making the Griffin bow in front of the spectators. She doesn’t even pay attention to any of the cheers for the Ravenclaw. Her eyes are searching for the remaining Griffin, maybe she has a last chance to win the first task if she manages to steal the Griffin from Soojin.

Despite the immense pain she feels in her leg, she pushes on her arms to get up. She leans against the wall, searching for the last Griffin while catching her breath. She sees the creature attempting to fly, but Soojin seems to have transformed her wand into a lasso and pulls on it to prevent the creature from escaping. Yuqi believes it is her chance.

The Gryffindor knows she has no chance to get to the Griffin in her current condition, her leg is surely broken, and she isn’t good at handling pain. She points her wand to the ground and yells.

« Aqua Eructo! »

A powerful jet of water gets out from the tip of her wand, propelling her in the air. She waits until she is right above the Griffin to stop the jet of water, and now points her wand at the struggling Griffin.

« Impedimenta! »

Her blue magic touches the Griffin in full strength, Soojin who has anticipated lets go of her lasso to not be affected by the slowing incantation. Yuqi falls on the slow-moving Griffin, making it easier for her to find a good way to hold onto the feathers of the animal. Just like Minnie did before her, she transforms her wand into a whip and uses it a couple of times on the creature before the slowing jinx effects are over. She needs the Griffin to understand who is in charge.

What she doesn’t see coming is Soojin throwing a yellow bolt in her direction, she doesn’t manage to dodge it and it touches her on her left arm making her lose some grip on the Griffin.

« What are you doing? »

« I told you I was being nice the first time. »

Yuqi grits her teeth, she knows she can win, she feels how the Griffin is less angry than earlier. She only has to make it bow to win, unfortunately, Soojin is not making it easy for her. The Slytherin is scary with her scratched face and angry green eyes, Yuqi is sure under other circumstances she would have bowed out of fear. But not now, not when she is this close to winning, and certainly not when the entire crowd of Gryffindor students is singing her name. She loves the attention too much, and it makes powerful energy go through her veins.

« Ascendio! »

Soojin is suddenly left high in the air, above Yuqi’s head. The Gryffindor feels her slowing jinx taking an end as the movements of the Griffin are becoming more violent with each second passing. She presses her legs around the creature despite the crushing pain in the right one, she can feel something is wrong with it but she ignores it the best she can. To calm down the creature, she uses her whip.

« Bombarda! »

Soojin aims her wand at the Griffin, knowing the sudden explosions will excite the creature and make Yuqi fall off. The Gryffindor feels her shoulder tensing up so much they burn from the effort of holding herself on top of the Griffin. Soojin uses another “Ascendio”, she aims at Yuqi this time, the sudden explosions taking her by surprise and forcing her to let go of her grip.

---

« YUQI! »

Soyeon and Shuhua scream at the same time as their friend falls off the Griffin for the second time. Soojin takes her place on top of the creature and forces it to bow to the spectators. Soyeon is pretty sure the Slytherin is using a forceful spell to the highest possible degree as the Griffin bows down before collapsing on its side, exhausted by the turn of events.

Shuhua can only watch how Minnie appears from the other side of the arena where she has been waiting and stands next to Soojin on top of her Griffin. Yuqi is laying on the ground, this time unable to move without the help of someone, she doesn’t even make an effort to sit up. She watches from her position the Ravenclaw and the Slytherin looking down at her.

The Gryffindor closes her eyes, she knew Soojin and Minnie were good, awfully good at magic. This tournament wasn’t going to be easy in any way, and maybe she believed too much in herself, maybe she isn’t worthy enough, maybe she didn’t try enough, she doesn’t know the answer, everything she wants is to be out of here.

---

Yuqi has to spend the afternoon in the hospital, her right leg was indeed broken and the Nurse gave her the most disgusting potion ever to fix it up. It was painful to feel her bone coming back to one piece, but not as painful as losing the first challenge. She is so disappointed in herself, she snapped at Shuhua and Soyeon when the two came to see her. Shuhua left, her eyes teary from incomprehension at her friend's behavior. Soyeon stayed, telling her to calm down – she hated when anyone would talk badly to Shuhua, even if it was Yuqi – but Yuqi refused to calm down. The two friends ended up calling each other mean words until finally, Soyeon left.

Yuqi sighs, she knows she can’t let her emotions rule her. Shuhua and Soyeon have nothing to do with her losing, on the contrary, the two girls supported her the loudest the entire time. She saw them from the corner of her eyes, Soyeon had a neon beanie so Yuqi could spot her in the crowd.

« You seem as great as a friend as you were in the arena. »

Yuqi scans the room, she hears a curtain being pulled, revealing Soojin in one of the infirmary beds as well. She has a bandage around her shoulder and another one on the side of her head. Yuqi hadn’t noticed her until then, too busy being an to her friends.

« How’s your leg? »

« Fine. The Nurse said I should be good to go for dinner. »

Soojin nods, she stands up and walks to Yuqi’s bed. She sits on the chair next to it. The Slytherin takes her time to look at the Gryffindor, she has never given her any attention until now. The tournament, especially the first challenge made her curious. Yuqi impressed her. Despite her threats, the girl came back to face her and didn’t give up until the very end.

« How’s your shoulder? »

« Nothing the Nurse can’t heal. »

Soojin knew her shoulder wasn’t feeling right after she collapsed against the rocks the very first time. The Griffin pushed her away with its wings, and Soojin underestimated how powerful those could be. She put a numbing spell on her shoulder and continued fighting. When the Nurse found out about it, she lectured Soojin for a good five minutes about not doing such a thing.

« I liked fighting against you. You’re cool. »

« I can’t say the same. »

Soojin is taken aback by Yuqi’s honesty. She watches the girl for a moment before letting out a smile. It is genuine, and Yuqi is surprised to see the Slytherin smiling. Usually, it means something bad will happen as she is plotting some kind of vengeance, but right now it is a genuine one of amusement.

« There are still three other challenges. I hope you will fight better. I have no interest in winning over weak losers. »

Yuqi watches Soojin standing up, making her way out of the infirmary. The Gryffindor’s brain works hard, she thinks she might have understood how the mysterious Soojin works. The girl likes challenges, that is for sure, and she reacted well when Yuqi was honest about how she felt. She takes a deep breath before speaking.

« I hope I didn’t scare you, it is not interesting if the others are scaredy cats! »

Soojin turns around and smirks at Yuqi before exiting the infirmary.

---

Yuqi’s talk with Soojin managed to soothe Yuqi’s feelings. The Gryffindor is an extremely proud wizard who doesn’t handle losing very well, even more in a tournament watched by the whole school. But Soojin gave her back some confidence, the Slytherin told her she was impressed, and looking forward to facing her again.

Shuhua and Soyeon didn’t visit her again, and when the Nurse told her she was fine to go an hour before dinner, Yuqi decided to search for her two friends. Unfortunately, as she is walking around the castle, she seems to meet everyone but her friends. The Gryffindors she meets are very supportive of her, they praise how she fought the top two students without any fear and tells her she will do better next time. The Slytherins only look at her sideways, but the one of the same year as her sometimes gives her a thumbs up. Ravenclaws and Hufflepuff are equally nice, smiling at her on their way.

Yuqi continues to look out until she reaches Gryffindor’s common room without any luck. She recognizes one of Shuhua’s classmates near the window, and the girl tells her Shuhua said she would be meeting with Miyeon but doesn’t have any idea where the two could be. As for Soyeon, no one knows. Yuqi finds her friend in their shared room.

---

« Nurse let you out? »

« I have been looking all around the castle for you and Shuhua. »

« Shuhua is with Miyeon. You made her cry. »

« I… I was an , earlier. I am sorry. »

« Hum. You should tell that to Shu. »

Yuqi sighs, she sits down on Soyeon’s bed and tries to have the older girl look at her. She can read Soyeon’s eyes pretty well, they have been friends for over six years now, and a special bond has developed between them. She isn’t sure the term friendship is big enough for the relationship they are sharing. She knows her friendship with Shuhua is completely different from the one with Soyeon. Yet, she doesn’t want things to change between Soyeon and her, she likes where they are now. At least, that is what she tells herself at night.

« Thank you for supporting me. I heard you cheering. »

« Hum. How’s your leg? »

« It is fine now. I will have to go for a checkup with the Nurse next week. »

« Hum. »

Yuqi knows Soyeon is upset at her, not because they said mean words to each other but because she made Shuhua cry. Soyeon has always been very protective of Shuhua, and she doesn’t tolerate anyone meaning harm to the girl. Yuqi knows she did wrong.

« Are you still upset at yourself? »

« Not really… I’m sorry. »

« It’s okay. Don’t forget to apologize to Shu, that’s it. »

« … I don’t like losing. »

« I know, dumb head. »

« I really thought I would have won. »

« Everyone thought you would have won. That’s how good you were out there. »

« Really? »

Losing did hurt Yuqi’s ego, but knowing everyone thought she would have won is pulling the pieces back together. Soyeon knows that very well. She isn’t even lying this time, the whole crowd of Gryffindor thought she would take it over Soojin. Soyeon even believed Yuqi would stand up once again, but it didn’t happen. Still, she felt proud to be Yuqi’s friend and to see her defend herself so bravely. Not that she would tell all of this to the girl.

« You fought well. You can be proud of yourself. »

« Are you proud of me? »

« Something like that. »

Yuqi smiles big for the first time since this morning, she can’t help but squeeze Soyeon in a hug. The girl doesn’t say anything secretly enjoying Yuqi’s physical contact.

---

The clock rings dinner time, and the two friends walk hand in hand to the Great Hall. As Yuqi walks to her usual spot at the Gryffindor’s table, everyone gives her an encouraging word, or a kind smile as they meet eyes with her. It makes the Gryffindor warm inside, loving the attention. Soyeon has to bring her back to the ground, Yuqi’s ego becoming too much to handle.

« Where is Shuhua? »

« With Miyeon, well Miyeon isn’t here yet. »

Yuqi scans the room, Hufflepuff’s table is more animated than usual, despite not having any champion in their house, the Hufflepuffs seem to have enjoyed the show a lot and are animately talking. Ravenclaw’s table right next to Gryffindor’s is the loudest, Minnie won the first task with grace, fueling Ravenclaws’ excitement over the upcoming challenges. Yuqi meets with Minnie’s eyes and the girl smile at her. The redhead isn’t sure if the girl is mocking her or actually being nice. Yuqi turns around, to look at Slytherin’s table, they are animated as well as Soojin won the first task alongside Minnie. The Slytherin champion is for once circled by a large group of students who keep trying to gain her attention. Yuqi smiles when Soojin looks in her direction, the Slytherin responds with an amused face but no real smile.

Shuhua appears during the Headmaster’s speech before the dinner starts. She takes her place next to Soyeon, making Yuqi pout. As soon as they can talk, Yuqi apologizes to the younger Gryffindor, earning in response a weak smile from Shuhua. Her eyes aren’t puffy like Yuqi expected, but the girl is giving her the cold shoulder. The dinner can’t finish fast enough for Yuqi to be able to have a real discussion with Shuhua.

Except the girl slips away once the dinner is over. Soyeon tells her Shuhua will come to her when she feels like it. Yuqi makes her way to the Gryffindor Tower with a pout on her lips. She is very much dramatic about everything, and Soyeon doesn’t bother trying to cheer her up, she lets the other Gryffindors in charge of it. Yuqi doesn’t pout for long, the excitement of the first task being completed runs through everyone’s brain pushing a noisy celebration to shake it off.

---

« Hi. »

« Oh! You scared me. Hi. »

Soojin lips rise in a faint smile, she looks around before looking at Shuhua again. The two are outside in the Quad, a spot usually used by Slytherin’s Dueling Club, but ever since the ban on duels, Slytherin has been using it to hang out. Soojin hangs out there sometimes at night to watch the stars, and it seems as if Shuhua might have had the same idea.

« What are you doing here? »

« I am waiting for Miyeon to join me. »

« Well, you are going to wait for a while since her fan club cornered her. »

Shuhua sighs, unfortunately for her, Miyeon is quite the popular one. She even has a fan club, which published pictures and articles about her. Usually, they talk about her looks, her make-up, her nails, etc. Sometimes they get a little crazy and like today want to spend some time with Miyeon. The girl doesn’t always say yes, but it seems as if today she couldn’t escape.

« Is it okay if I stay with you? »

« It is fine… »

Shuhua knows she is staying here because she doesn’t want to go to her room. Yuqi will be here, and the girl won’t let her rest unless she forgives her about earlier. Shuhua already forgave her, she understands her friend was feeling a lot of emotions and didn’t know how to handle it properly. Still, it hurt her, and she had to find comfort in Miyeon’s arms.

« I come here to look at the stars. Since no one thinks of coming here at night, it is usually peaceful. »

« Isn’t the view from the Astronomy Tower better? »

« Hum… I think the view is quite nice here, already. Don’t you? »

Shuhua shrugs. She doesn’t notice how fidgety Soojin is next to her, too busy in her own head. The Slytherin is searching for something to say. She has never been very good with her words, even less when it comes to Shuhua.

« Are you doing something next weekend? »

« What? »

« I thought we could go to Hogsmeade together. »

Shuhua frowns, surprised at the sudden invitation of the Slytherin. Soojin and she rarely had the opportunity to only be the two of them, it never happened on purpose. Having Soojin ask her to hang out together isn’t something she expected.

Shuhua agrees, Soojin lets out her breath now reassured. There is now a comfortable silence between them. Soojin is watching the stars still fidgeting with the hem of her sweatshirt, while Shuhua is playing with her hair. Miyeon comes, putting an end to Soojin’s moment with Shuhua, the Slytherin quickly excuses herself.

« I am sorry. They kept talking and I didn’t have it in me to stop them. »

« It’s fine. »

Shuhua smiles at Miyeon, the girl sits down next to Shuhua, and the younger immediately wraps her arms around her waist. Shuhua needs physical contact with the people she loves, especially with Miyeon who she adores more than anyone else. It is her biggest regret to not be in the same house as her friend, but she knows for nothing in the world she would leave Gryffindor.

« Soojin invited me to Hogsmeade next weekend. »

« Oh really? That’s… unexpected. »

« Hum… I told her I would go with her. »

« Good. Then, I think I will go with some friends as well. I wanted to ask you but Soojin was quicker. »

Shuhua chuckles, she pushes her head under Miyeon’s chin and closes her eyes. Miyeon is gently rubbing her back with her hand between her sweatshirt and her shirt. Since it is the weekend, everyone can wear their own clothes. Miyeon loves her short skirts while Shuhua prefers her comfy and baggy clothes.

« Is it better with Yuqi? »

« She apologized at dinner. It is fine, I know she didn’t do it on purpose. »

« Still, you don’t want to see her. I presume that is why you waited for me. »

« Hum… I just prefer being with you, right now. »

Miyeon puts a kiss on Shuhua’s forehead. The two friends stay together under the stars until the temperature gets so cold, Miyeon can’t help but notice Shuhua shaking against her.

« It is getting cold, maybe we could go somewhere warmer? »

Shuhua refuses to leave Miyeon’s side even when it is time for them to go back to their dorm. Miyeon, who has a hard time refusing Shuhua, agrees to let her sleep with her. That is how Shuhua falls asleep between Miyeon’s arms on Hufflepuff’s grounds despite the clear rules saying that all students must sleep on their beds.

Shuhua sleeps so well that Miyeon has to wake her up. Fortunately for Shuhua, Miyeon’s roommates don’t say anything about the Gryffindor being here, they even greet Shuhua with “hello”. The Gryffindor does her best to exit the Hufflepuff Basement the most discreetly possible, and sprints to Gryffindor Tower to shower and change into her uniform. Most of the students are already at breakfast in the Great Hall. Since she won’t have the time to eat, she grabs some chocolate from her stash and gets her book before heading to class.

---

Yuqi and Shuhua talk things out during the week, to Soyeon’s biggest relief. Everything is back to normal, the two Gryffindors study together in the Great Hall, making jokes and talking louder than they should while Soyeon is on the Quidditch Pitch, preparing herself for the beginning of the Quidditch season.

The beanie girl has been part of the Quidditch team since her second year, she always wanted to be part of it, and she likes the adrenaline of the sport. Now, she even is Captain of the team since last year, she would love to make her team win this year, getting second is just not enough. While most are studying, Soyeon is working on strategies to optimize her teammate play. She is also looking for new recruits, knowing some of the players are graduating this year, she needs to assure the future of her team.

It usually takes most of Soyeon’s time. Leaving little time for her studies that she only keeps up to float so Mrs. Vera doesn’t kick her out of the team. Soyeon knows Quidditch is what she wants to do when she grows up, anything else doesn’t interest her. Going to class, learning about the past, and discovering new spells, barely itches her interest. But being on the field and feeling this energy when she goes fast on her broom, there is nothing quite like it.

« Here again. »

« I should be the one telling you that. »

Soojin chuckles, she sits down next to Soyeon with her own broom in hand. Soyeon already knows what the girl is going to ask her, and she already knows her answer will be “yes”. The thing is, Soojin used to play Quidditch in the Slytherin team but got kicked out as she used Dark Magic against a student. Mr. Bancroft was very firm and prohibited her from ever playing again, the girl felt miserable about the decision even if she acted as if it didn’t matter to her. To soothe her wound, she searched for something new to challenge herself. That is how she discovered Wizard Chess.

Soojin enrolled in the club where she met Soyeon. The two are the club's best players but are unable to settle who is the best player between them. Since chess couldn’t decide for them, they decided to find another way. They tried many games without finding a settlement, and in the end, they decided they were both as good as the other, and they should play for the fun. Soojin loved to play Soyeon as the girl had quite a unique way of thinking.

Another thing Soojin really likes about Soyeon is how good she is on a brown. And their favorite thing to do together is to speed fly across the castle. It isn’t important who wins, the fact of going so fast and the danger of colliding with a wall if they don’t handle their broom correctly is what makes their heart beat faster.

« So? What’s the itinerary today? »

« Gryffindor Tower, Training Grounds, Viaduct, Great Lake, Headmaster Tower, and back to the Pitch. »

« Got it. »

Soyeon puts away her parchments full of strategies for the upcoming game where Gryffindor is facing Hufflepuff to kick off the season and grabs her broom. They are both wearing their regular uniform, and they know the cold wind of the speed will kick their , but they don’t seem to care right now. The fun of speeding on their broom is their main concern.

« Let’s go! »